Not Another Dragon
by whitetiger91
Summary: "Hagrid had to be joking; he just had to be. Did he not remember what happened the last time he received a dragon egg from a stranger? Was he honestly that irresponsible?" Poor Hermione, Hagrid has found himself in possession of yet another egg and it seems only she is willing to set him straight.


**Not Another Dragon**

 _ **A/N: Me again with another slightly weird fic. This was written for the Potions Club on the Diagonal Alley II forum. Ingredient: Wolfsbane—Write about something that isn't as it first seems.**_

 ** _Getting Hagrid's accent right is harder than I thought, so apologies if it doesn't sound too spectacular. Nevertheless, thanks for reading :)_**

* * *

"Hagrid! Hagrid! Are you in?"

"Stop yelling, Ron. I don't think he is," Hermione said, rolling her eyes and pulling Ron away from the door.

"Well, he could be," he muttered but took another step back anyway.

Hermione ignored him and began to march back up the stone pathway leading to the castle. She was sure that Hagrid had asked them to meet him after dinner, that he had wanted to share some exciting news with them. However, she was also positive that there was no point in banging on the hut door when, clearly, no one was home to answer it. Hagrid would tell them his news when he was ready.

"Hagrid!"

Spinning around, Hermione saw that the door to the hut had creaked open, and Ron was staring at her with a triumphant grin on his face. Behind him, Hagrid stood in the doorway, his massive frame blocking her view of the hut's inside. His beady black eyes were crinkled as he, too, smiled at her, his cheeks red.

Well, perhaps Hagrid was ready now. Ignoring Ron's grin, Hermione walked back down to the hut.

"Come in yer lot, come in," Hagrid said, stepping aside and ushering them in. "Gather round the table, go on."

Hermione went to comply but soon found herself unable to move. There, in the centre of the table, swaddled in a grimy teatowel, was a large, black egg.

Beside her, seemingly having seen the egg himself, Ron groaned. "Hagrid, please tell me that that is not another—" he said.

"Inn'it beautiful?" Hagrid interrupted, walking over to the egg. Reaching out a large hand, he stroked the top of the egg. "I got this 'un from a man in Hogsmeade."

Closing her eyes, Hermione took a deep breath. Hagrid had to be joking; he just had to be. Did he not remember what happened the last time he received a dragon egg from a stranger? Was he honestly that irresponsible? Last time he had taken in a dragon egg—and illegally, at that—his hut had almost burned down and she and Harry had been put in detention in the Forbidden Forest.

No, this time, she wouldn't let it happen again. They would make Hagrid do the right thing and give the egg to someone who had authority in raising dragons. Opening her eyes, she cleared her throat and nudged Ron.

"Hagrid, we—" she began, but one glance at Ron, who was staring at the egg with an excited gleam in his eyes, had her correcting herself. "I think it would be best if you—"

"Shhh, it's hatching!" Ron cut in, pointing to the egg.

Her words dying on her lips, Hermione turned back to the egg. Sure enough, the black egg was swaying from side to side. A thin, jagged line had formed around the tip, and as Hermione gazed at it, the crack began to grow. Her heart began to beat faster, her hands trembling just a little. She found that she was torn between wanting to owl Charlie to come to the school straight away, and excited that, for the second time in her life, she would get to see a dragon hatch.

In the end, Hermione decided to stay where she was, watching the egg rock back and forth. Really, if she thought about it, this _was_ an opportunity to learn. As crazy and dangerous as Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures lessons had been, she had never had an opportunity to study dragons up close, and this time, she was a little more prepared for what would happen. Besides, turning Hagrid in would only result in him getting in trouble.

"Common, l'il fella, yer can do it," Hagrid cooed, picking away a piece of shell and helping the baby inside.

Soon, with a mighty cry, the egg gave a final jolt and the creature inside pushed itself out.

"Ughhh! That is the ugliest dragon I have ever seen!" Ron said, taking a step back and pointing at the baby.

Hermione glared at her friend but had to admit that he was right. The creature was kind of repulsive, and not just because the room was filled with a strong smell of rotten eggs as soon as it emerged. Instead of the fine, glittering green scales that she had seen on Norberta when she was born, the creature was covered in a thick, black tar substance. Its skin was all wrinkled, and instead of a snout, its nose was more of a beak.

"Don' be silly, Ron, he's not a dragon. Haven' I taught yer anythin'? This is an Augurey," Hagrid said. Stooping down, he picked up the baby Augurey and began to wipe the tar off it.

Taking a moment to recover herself, not sure whether to be relieved or disappointed that it wasn't a dragon, Hermione sighed. Well, at least Hagrid wasn't in the wrong. Augureys weren't exactly as dangerous as dragons, and Hagrid would surely be able to handle it.

With that in mind, she stepped forward and plastered a smile on her face. "Well, congratulations, Hagrid, what are you going to name, erm, it?"

Hagrid winked at her, cradling the Augurey to his chest. "I think Norbert this time—unless we're ter be surprised again."


End file.
